Time for a bit of nostalgia! I loved Morecambe and Wise when they were regularly on television, setting out to embarrass their special guests - in the most affectionate way possible, of course. Now it seems that Eric Morecambe’s son, Gary Morecambe, rooting about in the attic of the family home, discovered a recording of a lost episode of the Morecambe and Wise Show. Back in the day they didn’t realise how important it was going to be to keep the recordings, not just of this show but also of others, and tapes were wiped or recorded over. The BBC plans to show this lost episode on Christmas Day. The rediscovered episode will air on BBC Two at 7.45pm on Christmas Day. It will be preceded at 7pm by the pair’s 1971 Christmas show, featuring André Previn, Glenda Jackson and Dame Shirley Bassey.
I hope it doesn’t prove disappointing. BBC Radio 4 has been broadcasting remakes of Hancock’s Half Hour, using a Tony Hancock imitator in the main role. We listened to one the other day and wondered at how we had remembered it as so terribly funny because it was barely raising a smile this to e round. It all sounded a little juvenile and was probably still quite fun to record. Half way through we gave up and switched from Radio 4 to Radio 3. I would like to think our sense of humour has just grown more sophisticated!
We do, however, seek out and enjoy recordings of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
Keeping to the nostalgia theme, here’s a link to an article about The Scaffold back in 1968 when their record “Lily the Pink” was at number one in the hit parade. They were to appear on Top of the Pops, had recorded the programme and were heading home, hoping to get to Liverpool in time to watch themselves on TV. When it became obvious that this was a vain attempt they finally knocked on a random door and invited themselves in to watch Top of the Pops. This is another consequence of recordings for TV not being kept, and of course this preceded the technology for recording onto your own video cassettes, let alone watching stuff on catch-up. Today’s young don’t know how easy they have it!
What I particularly like is that Roger McGough met the lady of the house years later at a poetry reading. She was by then a headmistress and reprimanded him for not having waited at her house back in 1968 to give her the chance to meet the band she admired.
By the way, maybe we could do with some of Lily the Pink’s “medicinal compound” in the modern Covid world.
That’ll do for now. I have baking to do in preparation for tomorrow’s festivities.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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